Black Lives Matter Protests

Jada Bee presents their products to shoppers at the People's Market on Sept. 26, 2020, in Bloomington. Bee has not actively sought updates on Minneapolis Police Department officer Derek Chauvin's trial because they want to avoid reliving the trauma of George Floyd's killing.

BLM B-Town says Chauvin’s conviction does not fix problems with policing

Apr 20, 2021 7:19 pm

BLM B-Town identifies deeper systemic issues in policing than highlighted in Chauvin trial.

A Black Lives Matter mural is being painted on the side of the Harrisburg Improv Theatre on North Third Street inHarrisburg, Pennsylvania. The Bloomington City Council voted 8-0-1 Wednesday to endorse the installation of two street murals in October that will say “Black lives matter.”

Bloomington City Council endorses two BLM street murals to be installed in October

Sep 24, 2020 12:20 am

The Banneker Community Center Advisory Council is spearheading the murals project.

A Black Lives Matter event co-sponsored by the IU Maurer School of Law will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 11. Donations will be accepted until Sunday.

Law students to have ‘Putting our Words into Action’ online event

Jul 9, 2020 10:18 pm

There will be a panel discussion about how law students or advocates can take action.

From left, Salina Tesfagiorgis is a rising senior beginning her master’s degree at the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies and is one of the organizers of the local Black activist group Enough is Enough. Ky Freeman is a rising junior majoring in secondary English education and is the president of the Black Student Union. Tiana Williams is a rising junior majoring in musical theater and is a member of the IU NAACP.

Young Black leaders, activists at IU incorporate social justice into career interests

Jul 9, 2020 10:14 pm

Three students have learned how to resist through education, international studies and theater.

Protesters march July 7 up Kirkwood Avenue toward the Sample Gates. Instead of turning onto Dunn Street like the evening before, the group marched all the way to Indiana Avenue before turning right and right again onto Third Street.

Protesters take to the streets again demanding justice for Booker, local action on policing

Jul 8, 2020 2:29 pm

No protesters were harmed in Tuesday’s protest.

Athletic director Scott Dolson is pictured. Dolson sent an email Tuesday to athletic staff voicing his outrage against recent racist events in Bloomington.

Athletic director Scott Dolson contacts staff amid racial tensions in Bloomington

Jul 7, 2020 9:36 pm

"I condemn these events of racial violence and racial profiling in the strongest terms,” Dolson said.

A protester holds up a sign July 6 in front of the Charlotte Zietlow Justice Center. Vauhxx Booker was the victim of a racist attack July 4 near Monroe Lake.

FBI opens investigation into Vauhxx Booker’s attack

Jul 7, 2020 5:41 pm

The case will be investigated as a hate crime, Booker's attorney said.

Sheriff’s department cars and a Bloomington Fire Department truck sit with their lights flashing at the intersection of Sixth and Walnut Streets after multiple protesters were hit by a car just after the conclusion of the protest July 6 in downtown Bloomington. The protest was in response to a racist attack on Monroe County human rights commissioner Vauhxx Booker on July 4.

Police have not yet found driver who hit protesters due to invalid address on registration

Jul 7, 2020 4:36 pm

A woman driving a 2015 red Toyota Corolla hit two protesters Monday night.

Paramedics, firefighters and law enforcement officers tend to a protester who was struck by a car July 6 just after the conclusion of the protest in downtown Bloomington. The car sped off after hitting multiple protesters and carrying them on the hood of the car before they were eventually flung off.

Car hits two protesters at Black Lives Matter protest following Vauhxx Booker's attack

Jul 7, 2020 2:37 am

A friend started a GoFundMe page for the woman taken to the hospital.

Vauhxx Booker is a human rights advocate and part of the Monroe County Affordable Housing Advisory Commission. Booker was diagnosed with a minor concussion, abrasions, bruises and some ripped out hair patches after being attacked on the evening of the Fourth of July near Monroe Lake.

‘I didn’t want to be another hashtag’: Vauhxx Booker attacked at Lake Monroe on Saturday

Jul 6, 2020 5:20 pm

The Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the encounter.

Jordan Hall is named after former IU President David Starr Jordan, a supporter of eugenics and forced sterilization for what he and others considered the “degenerate stock." Biographies of the members of the new Jordan Committee that was formed to review the names of Jordan Hall, Jordan River, Jordan Avenue, the Jordan Parking Garage and any scholarships, fellowships or other awards that bear Jordan's name are available on IU’s website.

6-member committee appointed to review the Jordan name on campus

Jul 6, 2020 10:09 am

The move comes amid increased criticism of the campus’s commemoration of the eugenicist.

Bloomington artist Brooklynn Samonee sells her paintings June 26 at the Enough is Enough "family reunion" in Dunn Meadow. The event included several artists and local, predominantly Black-owned businesses.

Black small businesses, artists, community celebrated at Dunn Meadow on Friday

Jun 29, 2020 11:19 pm

Organizers aim to keep activist momentum going following the protests.

A protester holds up a sign while kneeling June 5 in front of the Monroe County Courthouse. An article from the Washington Post says that more Black people are screening positively for depression or anxiety in the wake of the killing of George Floyd.

Black Lives Matter spurs from trauma. Black mental health continues to be affected.

Jun 29, 2020 10:25 pm

Protests can offer hope but also cause stress.

Indiana State Road 446 crosses Lake Monroe. IU football players, including defensive back Bryant Fitzgerald, were involved in an incident Wednesday on the lake in which they felt they were racially profiled.

Arrest at Monroe Lake spurs IU football players to voice concern over racial profiling

Jun 28, 2020 2:48 pm

Defensive back Bryant Fitzgerald and other IU athletes expressed frustrations on Twitter.

A protester holds a sign in the air June 5 in front of the Monroe County Courthouse. Many organizations are fundraising and making donations in response to the death of George Floyd.

IU students raise tens of thousands of dollars for various causes after George Floyd's death

Jun 10, 2020 11:54 pm

Money has gone to bail funds, memorials and a local community center.

Signs and tents are decorated with Black Lives Matter slogans June 9 in the grass around the Monroe County Courthouse. Some people packed up their tents while others left them standing.

Sheriff enforces eviction of courthouse late Tuesday night; no arrests made

Jun 10, 2020 3:38 pm

Around 100 protesters showed up to protest the eviction.

A Honda CR-V decorated with Black Lives Matter slogans is parked June 5 next to Dunn Meadow. A few other cars were decorated similarly, and many protesters at the June 5 ‘Enough is Enough’ protest held up signs they had decorated themselves.

Bloomington Black artists combine creativity, advocacy

Jun 8, 2020 5:51 pm

Three local artists discuss the intersection of their work, lives and recent anti-police brutality protests.

Hundreds of protesters march June 5 down East Seventh Street. The protest was in response to the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin and began in Dunn Meadow before making its way to courthouse square.

'I am tired, but I am not broken': Student-organized protest draws thousands

Jun 5, 2020 11:32 pm

The protest remained peaceful, and there was no heavy police presence.

A protest is planned for Friday, June 5 at 3:00 p.m. in Dunn Meadow. Protests are happening regularly across the country in response to the killing of George Floyd May 25 by Minneapolis police.

Organizers of Friday’s peaceful march to push for community action, civilian oversight of police

Jun 2, 2020 1:14 pm

IU students are the main organizers of the event.

A protester holds a sign June 1 on East Third Street. The protest went through the streets as traffic was blocked off.

Bloomington protests continue Monday night with downtown march

Jun 2, 2020 12:11 pm

A truck with Trump flags drove through the crowd, and the driver reportedly brandished a gun.